Solect expands to Illinois

Hopkinton solar company Solect is expanding into Illinois, its fourth state, where it sees a large untapped potential for solar energy production.

Solect has already expanded from its home state into Connecticut and Rhode Island. It announced this week it has launched operations in Illinois, which it said is a dynamic new market for solar.

The company said it has found more than 40,000 buildings in Illinios to support a 100-kilowatt solar panel system. A recent renewable energy bill in the state is expected to drive 3,000 megawatts of new solar projects by 2030, Solect said.

Despite Illinois' larger land size than Massachusetts and a geographic location that extends farther south, the state lags behind Solect's home state when it comes to solar production and jobs, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Illinois is ranked 33rd by solar production, with 12,891 homes powered by solar and 2,516 total solar installations. Massachusetts, by comparison, is ranked sixth by the SEIA with 330,445 homes powered by solar and 76,359 total installations.